Q. I am lucky to have insurance through my employer, but I need more medications as I grow older.
Last month, my doctor and I discussed new drugs for two health problems. Because I have had serious negative reactions to many generics, we opted for name brands.
My insurance company refuses to pay Tier 3 ($70 for 90 day mail supply) for the brand name medications that my doctor and I agreed would be best. As a result, my budget was blown to shreds. I had to pay $420 for 2 drugs last month, and now must determine which other bills not to pay now and next month. What else can I do?
A. Many insurance companies have created a multi-tier payment system to discourage the use of expensive brand-name medicines. This might seem reasonable, but we are concerned. So many people have reported problems with generic drugs on our Web site that we are no longer confident of their quality.
People who need pricey prescriptions may want to shop comparatively using a service such as www.PharmacyChecker.com. Another option might be to buy brand name drugs from reliable Canadian online pharmacies. Be aware, though, that some online drugstores masquerade as Canadian.
We are sending you our Guide to Saving Money on Medicine for guidance on determining which online pharmacies are legitimate.
